Tech Insight : What Is ‘Bluesky’ ?

With the Bluesky social media platform becoming the most downloaded app on both the US and UK Apple Stores as users switch from X following the US election, we take a closer look at what Bluesky is and what it offers users.

What is Bluesky, and Who Owns It?

Bluesky is a social media platform that has rapidly gained attention as a promising alternative to X and offers users a fresh and open approach to online interaction. Bluesky was conceived in 2019 by Jack Dorsey, then CEO of Twitter, as an experimental project to create a decentralised standard for social media. The idea was to develop a platform where no single person or entity held complete control, providing users with autonomy over their content and connections.

By 2021, Bluesky had evolved into an independent public benefit corporation, with Jay Graber at its helm as CEO. While Dorsey played a pivotal role in its early development, he stepped down from the board in 2024, leaving the platform in the hands of Graber and her team. Bluesky operates on the AT Protocol, an open-source framework designed to ensure transparency and user control, distinguishing it from traditional centralised platforms.

Why Are So Many X Users Migrating to Bluesky?

The turmoil surrounding X, formerly known as Twitter, has been a significant catalyst for Bluesky’s growth. For example, since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, a series of controversial changes, including alterations to content moderation policies and the introduction of contentious features like AI training on public posts, have alienated many users. Additionally, and crucially in recent weeks, Musk’s political views and public alignment with Donald Trump during the 2024 US election campaign have substantially deepened the divide.

Staggering Growth

Disillusioned users have turned to Bluesky in the hope of finding transparency and decentralisation, and for the most part as a protest against, and to signal their opposition to, Trump and Musk. As such, the platform’s growth has been staggering, with 2.25 million users signing up in the week following Trump’s election win and an additional million joining within 24 hours of a recent outage on X. Bluesky’s user base now exceeds 20 million, making it one of the fastest-growing social platforms in recent memory.

Cory Johnson, Chief Market Strategist at Epistrophy Capital Research, encapsulated the sentiment driving this shift, telling AOL News: “People are both disgusted and afraid of Elon Musk and what Twitter has become. Users are fleeing X, and Bluesky and Threads are the beneficiaries.”

What Are the Other Alternatives for Unhappy X Users?

While Bluesky is among the most talked-about alternatives, it is worth noting that there are other options for disgruntled X users to join. For example, competing platforms like Threads, Mastodon, and Spill each offer different benefits:

– Threads, developed by Meta, has a massive user base integrated with Instagram, making it an attractive option for those already entrenched in Meta’s ecosystem.

– Mastodon, another decentralised network, provides a federated model allowing users to join specific servers tailored to their preferences.

– Spill caters to culturally diverse communities, offering a niche approach to social networking.

However, despite these competitors, Bluesky’s focus on decentralisation and user control, along with media reports identifying it as the main platform that former X users are joining, appears to have set it apart as an appealing option.

What Does Bluesky Offer?

In terms of its features and benefits, Bluesky’s appeal lies in its innovative tools designed to empower users. The platform operates with a familiar interface reminiscent of early Twitter, enabling users to post text, images, and videos, as well as engage in direct messaging, making it an easy transition for former X users seeking familiarity in a new platform.

What truly sets Bluesky apart is its decentralised architecture and extensive customisation options, offering users a level of control and personalisation rarely seen in other platforms. Key examples include:

A decentralised network. Bluesky uses the AT Protocol, allowing users to maintain control over their data and migrate between servers without losing their connections or content.

Custom feeds. Users can create and subscribe to personalised algorithms, tailoring their content experience to align with individual interests.

Domain-based handles. This feature allows users to use personal domain names as their handles, enhancing authenticity and enabling self-verification.

Ad-free environment. Unlike many platforms, Bluesky has rejected traditional advertising models, instead exploring revenue through subscriptions and premium features like custom domain handles.

In essence, compared to X, Bluesky appears to offer a more transparent and user-centric environment. For example, Bluesky doesn’t use user-generated content to train AI models, a contentious issue that has driven many users away from X.

Challenges and Criticisms

However, it’s worth noting that Bluesky’s rapid growth has not been without its hurdles. The platform has faced technical issues, such as outages caused by sudden spikes in user activity. For instance, on 14 November, a fibre cable outage disrupted services for some users, underscoring the challenges of scaling infrastructure quickly during periods of surging demand. While Bluesky attributed the issue to external network downtime, it highlights the growing pains of an expanding platform.

Bluesky has also faced criticism over its moderation policies. A notable controversy arose when the platform failed to prevent offensive terms in usernames, prompting backlash and a user-led “posting strike” to demand stronger safeguards. In response, Bluesky introduced enhanced moderation tools, combining human oversight with automated systems. Despite these efforts, some users remain unconvinced of its ability to scale moderation effectively while maintaining its ethos of decentralisation.

Bluesky, therefore, appears to face a balancing act as it gets more popular, namely, how to handle its swift expansion while still preserving the user-centric principles that are a big part of its appeal.

The Impact on Social Media and X’s Response

Political influences aside, Bluesky’s emergence reflects a growing appetite for more decentralised and user-focused social platforms. Its success, alongside that of competitors like Threads, may signal a broader shift in user expectations, challenging traditional social media giants to adapt.

X has responded to these challenges with updates aimed at retaining its user base, such as tweaking its block feature and experimenting with algorithmic customisation. However, these measures have done little to stem the exodus of users dissatisfied with the platform’s direction under Musk’s leadership, and his now close association with Donald Trump and what this represents to many users.

As Bluesky continues to expand, its influence on the social media landscape could reshape industry standards, encouraging greater transparency, decentralisation, and user autonomy across platforms.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

The rise of Bluesky marks a notable shift in the social media landscape, with implications for users, businesses, advertisers, and the broader market. For X, the exodus of users to Bluesky and similar platforms highlights the challenges it faces in retaining its audience amid growing dissatisfaction with its policies and leadership. This shift could force X to rethink its strategies and approach, particularly as Bluesky and its competitors gain momentum (although Elon Musk’s attention appears to be firmly elsewhere at the moment).

For Bluesky, the surge in user numbers provides a unique opportunity to solidify its position as a leading alternative to traditional platforms. However, sustaining this growth will require addressing scalability issues and refining moderation policies without compromising its decentralised ethos. If Bluesky succeeds, it could redefine expectations for social platforms, prioritising user control and transparency over centralised power and intrusive monetisation models. This would make it a compelling case study for businesses exploring alternative ways to engage with their audience in an evolving digital environment.

For those users who have migrated to Bluesky, the platform offers a new space for connection and expression, free from many of the controversies surrounding X. The decentralised model gives users autonomy over their content and data, while the absence of traditional advertising creates a more authentic and less intrusive experience. However, as with any growing platform, users must navigate the teething issues of rapid expansion and assess whether Bluesky can maintain its core values over time.

For the social media market, Bluesky’s rise highlights a growing demand for decentralised, user-focused platforms. This shift could disrupt traditional giants like X and Meta, compelling them to innovate or risk losing their grip on a changing audience. Bluesky’s success also opens the door for competitors like Mastodon and Threads to carve out their niches, fostering greater diversity and competition in the market.

From a business and advertising perspective, Bluesky’s decentralised nature may require a rethinking of traditional approaches. With the platform currently lacking conventional advertising avenues, its subscription-based revenue model pushes businesses to explore innovative methods of engagement. For example, brands aiming to connect with Bluesky’s growing user base may need to focus on partnerships, community-driven content, and creative strategies that align with the platform’s ethos rather than relying on standard ad placements.

Bluesky’s growth, therefore, signals a change in social media dynamics, driven by user demands for transparency, control, and alignment with their values. Whether it’s X adapting to retain relevance, Bluesky scaling to meet expectations, or businesses redefining their digital strategies, this may be another pivotal moment for the industry, with long-lasting implications for how we interact online.